Borlotti beans

Borlotti beans are widely used in Italian cuisine, both as an ingredients in soups and stews but also in salads.

They are from the same family as the kidney bean but have a smoother texture. They tend to have a pinkish mottled look when raw, although they are often found in their white shelled variety.

Borlotti beans are often sold tinned and should be rinsed or well soaked in a bowl of water for 10 minutes before used to remove the liquid in which they are stored.

Dried borlotti beans should be soaked overnight in a bowl with an inch of water or more to cover the dried beans. They should then be boiled in water (try adding a bay leaf, pepper corns or chilli peppers to the water to add flavour) until they are no longer crunchy when tasted.